INSIDE THE Q: Veleno experiment will be closely watched

Saint John Sea Dogs’ Daniel Del Paggio takes a shot at Halifax Mooseheads goalie Eric Brassard in a March 2015 game in Halifax. The Sea Dogs’ forward depth may be the best in the league in the 2015/2016 season, Willy Palov says. (STAFF / File)

Now that the QMJHL has its first exceptional player, it seems logical to expect many more in the future.

Joe Veleno became the first 15-year-old in Q history to receive permission to enter the league a year ahead of schedule. The Saint John Sea Dogs picked him first overall in this year’s draft and reports out of their training camp are that he has fulfilled expectations. Assuming he can maintain that level of play for a full season, the league will be open for others to follow suit.

From the buzz around the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League, there are three potential candidates to follow in Veleno’s footsteps. Forwards Xavier Parent, Xavier Simoneau and Simon Poulin have all been invited to play in that league as 14-year-olds. That’s one year ahead of schedule, just like what Veleno did last season.

Also like Veleno in 2014-15, it will be important to track how those three kids stack up against the best 15-year-olds in that province. Those are the players they will be measured against leading up to the 2016 QMJHL draft. If they can post above-average statistics and prove themselves in leading roles for their teams, they may be able to make their own case to the Quebec league and Hockey Canada to earn special status.

Just as importantly, they will all have to grow. Veleno is a fairly big kid for his age, so he was a healthy six-foot-one and 175 pounds by the time the 2015 Q draft rolled around. None of the others can approach that size at the moment, so the amount they grow over the course of the next six to eight months will be critical.

With all that said, and as skilled as Parent, Simoneau and Poulin supposedly are, this is not a process that will be rushed. Hockey Canada has a long history of doing its due diligence before handing out exceptional status. But the thought alone of this many high-end players making that a topic of conversation at this stage of the hockey season is exciting.

COMPETITION FOR FIRST IN ATLANTIC WILL BE TIGHT

I will make my full-season predictions in another week or two, but I will say this much at this point — it’s shaping up to be an outstanding year at the top of the Atlantic Division.

The Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and Charlottetown Islanders have been targeting this season for two years now and appear to be on the right track to take a run at their first titles. The top players for both teams are all seasoned veterans now and primed for career years. The depth on both teams is also sound, and there is still room to beef up through mid-season trades.

But the thing is, the Saint John Sea Dogs are every bit as good as those teams, perhaps even better. The Sea Dogs insist 2016-17 is their go-for-it year, but I don’t know how you can ignore what they may be capable of this season. Their defence is about as good as it gets, their forward depth may be the best in the league and they have an underrated overager in goal. Not only that, but proven champion Danny Flynn is now on their bench. They will make noise.

I’ll need more time to figure out which of those three teams I like best to win the division, but I can assure you they are all good enough on paper right now to be considered legitimate championship threats.